Answers to a vintage newspaper quiz with Louise Brooks

A couple of days ago, this blog ran a vintage newspaper quiz featuring Louise Brooks. It ran in the Hutchinson News in November, 1926. Hutchinson, Kansas is a small city located some 50 miles from Wichita, Kansas. 

 

... And here are the answers to the quiz. How many did you get right?

 

 

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

A vintage newspaper quiz with Louise Brooks

Just recently, I came across this newspaper quiz featuring Louise Brooks. It ran in the Hutchinson News in November, 1926. Hutchinson, Kansas is a small city located some 50 miles from Wichita, Kansas. How many questions can you answer? I will run the answers, as printed on page 10, in a couple of days.

 

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond

Following the 100th anniversary of the release of Louise Brooks' first film, The Street of Forgotten Men, I thought to post this about my 2023 book, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond, the most recent publication of the Louise Brooks Society. Click HERE to purchase a copy. Or, click HERE to learn about other publications of the LBS.

 

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond is a deep dive into the history of a single film - its literary source, its making, exhibition history, critical reception, and, most surprising of all, its little known legacy. Few film titles become a catchphrase, let alone a catchphrase which remained in use for half-a-century and resonated throughout American culture. The Street of Forgotten Men (1925) is one such film.

This provocative stab at realism was described as "strange" and "startling" at the time of its release. The Street of Forgotten Men was directed by Herbert Brenon, who is best known for Peter Pan, The Great Gatsby, Beau Geste, Laugh, Clown, Laugh and other early classics. The film was shot by Harold Rosson, one of the great cinematographers whose credits include Gone with the Wind and Singin' in the Rain. And, it features a stellar cast (Percy Marmont, Mary Brian, Neil Hamilton) which includes a future screen legend at the very beginning of her career (Louise Brooks).

At 389 pages and with more than a hundred illustrations both large and small, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond tells the story of the film in rich, historical detail. As this book shows, this forgotten gem is exemplary of film making & film culture in the mid-1920s. Along with vintage clippings and unusual images - including rare production stills and location shots, this new book features all manner of historical documents including the short story on which the film was based, the scenario, a rare French fictionalization, newspaper advertisements, lobby cards, posters, and more. Among the book's many revelations:

-- Multiple accounts of the making of the film - suggesting what it was like on the set of a silent film.

-- A survey of the film's many reviews, including one by the Pulitzer Prize winning poet Carl Sandburg, another by a contributor to Weird Tales, and another by Catholic icon Dorothy Day, a candidate for sainthood.

-- Newly revealed identities of some of the film's bit players - a noted journalist, a future screenwriter, a soon to be famous actress, and a world champion boxer - which include accounts of their working on the film. There is also the story of Lassie's role in the film (no, not that Lassie, the first screen Lassie).

-- A look at the music associated with this silent film: the music played on set, the music depicted in the film, the music heard before the film was shown, and the music played to accompany the film itself (including the rare Paramount cue sheet and an alternative score).

-- And more... from the film's censorship records to its mention on the floor of Congress to its showing in multiple churches to its purchase by the United States Navy to a notice for the film's last documented public screening - at, of all places, a Y.M.C.A. in Shanghai, China in 1931 - six years after its release!

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond includes dozens of illustrations and images and features two forewords; one is by noted film preservationist Robert Byrne, whose restoration of The Street of Forgotten Men saved it from undeserving obscurity. The other, by acclaimed film historian Kevin Brownlow, is an appreciation of Herbert Brenon which reveals little known details about the movie drawn, in part, from his correspondence with Louise Brooks.

All-together, there is much to recommend about The Street of Forgotten Men, which was both a popular and critical success at the time of its release. The film is based on a story by a noted writer of the time; it was made by a significant director, shot by a great cinematographer, and features a fine cast which includes a future screen legend.... these are just some of the many points of interest. My book is a deep dive into the history of just one film, though the primary intention of this book to show how one film might be exemplary of film making and film culture during the silent era.

There is more to this story.... One of John Donne's famous poems begins "No man is an island entire of itself; every man / is a piece of the continent, a part of the main". To me, what Donne's verse says about humanity is what I believe about significant works of art, including films. Everything is connected in some way, in that nothing is created in a vacuum. I have kept Donne's lines in mind while writing this book. If anything, this book achieves one thing - it places The Street of Forgotten Men in the rich cinematic and cultural context of its time. 
 
I had long thought of writing a book about The Street of Forgotten Men, and have been unknowingly gathering material for years, if not decades .... With the film's restoration, it should begin to make its way into the stream of available films. I hope this book prompts the interest of film buffs and film scholars alike, and acts as a companion work for those who have the opportunity to see the film. I also wrote this book for another reason, because it is a book I would like to read about this or any film. Does it matter that The Street of Forgotten Men is a somewhat lesser film in the larger scheme of things, or in the history of film? 

 

No. Because, no film is an island.

“It’s very much a ‘start to finish’ look at the film’s history…. The book is not only a deep dive into the history of this particular film, but it also serves as an excellent example of precisely how silent Hollywood created and marketed some of its finest products back in its heyday. It’ll be both interesting and helpful for film history scholars, and perhaps be a springboard for similar book projects in the future.” — Lea Stans, Silent-ology 

AUTOGRAPHED copies available direct from the author @ $35.00 (includes shipping & handling within the USA). To place an order via PayPal, please send an email to louisebrookssociety AT gmailDOTcom 

 

Or buy NEW online from Amazon (USA) | Bookshop.org |  Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

 

The English-language edition may also be purchased through Amazon in Australia | Brazil | Canada | France | Germany | India | Italy | Japan | Mexico | Netherlands | Poland | Singapore | Spain | Turkey | United Arab Emirates | United Kingdom ||| Additionally, the English-language edition is available from Saxo (Denmark) | Open Trolley (Indonesia) | MightyApe (New Zealand) | Waterstones (UK)

More about the film can be found on The Street of Forgotten Men (filmography page) on the Louise Brooks Society website, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary online.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Street of Forgotten Men, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1925

The Street of Forgotten Men, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1925. The film underworld romance set among fake beggars and their “cripple factory” in the slums of the Bowery in New York City. The film is based on an O. Henryesque short story by George Kibbe Turner which appeared in Liberty magazine on February 14, 1925, just two months before the film went into production. The film is notable as the first in which Louise Brooks had a role, that of a moll (companion to a gangster). More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page.

[Though officially released on this day in 1925, the film debuted a month earlier, on July 19th at the Rivoli theater in New York City. See this earlier Louise Brooks Society blog post for a recap of this event.]

The Street of Forgotten Men was well regarded upon release, with star Percy Marmount singled out time and again for a fine dramatic performance often compared to the efforts of Lon Chaney. Director Herbert Brenon was also praised for his realistic depiction of Bowery life. Brenon, who the year before had directed Peter Pan (1924), went on to helm such classics as Beau Geste (1926), The Great Gatsby (1926), and Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928). His Sorrell and Son (1927) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director at the 1st Academy Awards.

The New York Daily News praised the film, noting “The Street of Forgotten Men dips into the dark pools of life. It shows you the beggars of life — apologies to Jim Tully — and in showing them it shows them up.”

Dorothy Evans of the Sacramento Union summed-up the feelings of many critics when she noted that the film’s “theme goes deeper than the average motion picture”. Roberta Nangle of the Chicago Tribune echoed her, “It is a startling tale of Bowery life, of the soiled, tawdry ladies and broken men of the underworld”. An exclamation point was added by A. F. Gillaspey of the San Francisco Bulletin, “For fine dramatic detail, for unusualness, for giving us a glimpse into a world we never see and into the other sides of characters we simply pass in pity on the streets, The Street of Forgotten Men is a photoplay revelation.”

Exhibitor’s Trade Review stated the film was tied for fifth among the year’s biggest “profit takers,” as reported by exhibitors. Commercial success was matched by critical acclaim. The National Board of Review named The Street of Forgotten Men one of the 40 best pictures of 1925; it was also picked one of the best films of the year by the Houston Chronicle, Pittsburgh Gazette Times, San Francisco Call & Post, Tacoma Times, and Topeka Daily Capital.

Though her role was small and she was not listed in the credits, Brooks received her very first notice for work in a film. In August, an anonymous critic for the Los Angeles Times wrote, “And there was a little rowdy, obviously attached to the ‘blind’ man, who did some vital work during her few short scenes. She was not listed.” At the time, this reference to Brooks was the extant of any attention she would receive for being in the film. Brooks, however, is depicted in at least two publicity stills issued by Paramount. Both show moments from the bar fight, a turning point in the film. Seemingly, neither of the stills were published in the United States, though both were published abroad, one in Brazil, and another in France.

Under its American title, documented screenings of the film took place in Australia (including Tasmania), Bermuda, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, New Zealand, Panama, South Africa, and the United Kingdom (including England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales). In the United States, the film was presented under the title La Calle de los Olvidados (Spanish-language press), A Rua dos Homens Esquecidos (Portuguese-language press), and Az Elfelejtett Emberek Utcája (Hungarian-language press).

Elsewhere, The Street of Forgotten Men was shown under the title L’école des mendiants (Algeria); Die Straße des Grauens (Austria); De School der Bedelaars (Belgium); O mendigo elegante and Um mendigo elegante (Brazil); La calle del olvido (Chile); La calle del olvido (Cuba); Ulice zapomenutých mužu (Czechoslovakia); Tiggerkongen (Denmark); De Straat der Ellendigen (Dutch East Indies); De Straat der verlaten Wezens (Dutch Guiana); Varjojen lapsi (Finland); L’école des mendiants – primarily, but also on a few occasions as Le roi des mendiants and La rue des hommes perdus (France); Die Straße des Grauens (Germany); Konungur Betlaranna (Iceland); 或る乞食の話 or Aru kojiki no hanashi (Japan); L’école des mendiants (Luxembourg); La calle del olvido (Mexico); De School der Bedelaars and De Vakschool der bedelaars (Netherlands); Varjojen lapsia (Norway); Vidas Perdidas (Portugal); Улица забытых людей (Soviet Union); La calle del olvido (Spain); and Skuggornas barn (Sweden).

SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

— According to one newspaper article, some of the names or ‘monackers’ scrawled on the beggars’ lockers include Bridgeport White Eye and Easy Money Charlie, as well as London Tip, Ed the Flop, Chicago Stick, Handsome Harry’ and Diamond Dick.

— The role of Portland Fancy was played by Juliet Brenon, the niece of the director.

— In one scene, Mary Brian is shown playing the piano. The sheet music is from Peter Pan, which Brian had starred in the year before under the direction of Brenon.

— The dog in the film was played by Lassie, who also appeared in Tol’able David and other silent films. According to the New York Times, Lassie was a star, earning $15,000 a year as a canine actor. The article noted “It is said that the death of Lassie in The Street of Forgotten Men was so impressive that persons were convinced that she must have been cruelly beaten.”

— A 1926 article in the New York Times reported that the film may have inspired a group of beggars to feign handicaps. “The police are investigating the speakeasy. It was recalled that several months ago a motion picture, The Street of Forgotten Men . . . showed just such an establishment for equipping ‘cripples’ as that described by Williams, and the police thought the movie idea might have been put to practical use.”

 — The first ever book on the film, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond, was published by the Louise Brooks Society in 2023. The book is authored by LBS Director Thomas Gladysz, and features forewords by film preservationist Robert Byrne and Oscar Honoree Kevin Brownlow. (Purchase on amazon.)

“It’s very much a ‘start to finish’ look at the film’s history…. The book is not only a deep dive into the history of this particular film, but it also serves as an excellent example of precisely how silent Hollywood created and marketed some of its finest products back in its heyday. It’ll be both interesting and helpful for film history scholars, and perhaps be a springboard for similar book projects in the future.” — Lea Stans, Silent-ology 

More about the film can be found on The Street of Forgotten Men (filmography page) on the Louise Brooks Society website, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary online.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Recent Louise Brooks Society media attention

The Louise Brooks Society has long been in the news. Over the years, this acclaimed, pioneering website has been praised by the New York Times (“an excellent homage”), USA Today (“My favorite Louise Brooks site”) and Wired (“exemplary”) as well as by the likes of Roger Ebert, Leonard Maltin, Barry Paris, Peter Cowie, Jack Garner, Pamela Hutchinson and other noted film historians and film critics. 

Along with its website, the Louise Brooks Society blog has also received a fair share of attention, and not just from other bloggers. For example, the noted cultural critic Greil Marcus gave the LBS blog a shout out when he mentioned a 2012 post in one of his 2015 columns on BarnesandNobleReview. (This write-up by Marcus was also included in his 2022 book, More Real Life Rock: The Wilderness Years 2014-2021, from Yale University Press.) 

This page presents some of the media and internet attention the Louise Brooks Society has received over the last three years. Most citations have been linked to their source.

Schwebe, Shoshana. “Pandora’s Box Dossier“. weimarcinema.org, July 2025.
— contains multiple acknowledgements to the Louise Brooks Society

“Thomas Gladysz, ND ’79.” Irish Magazine, Spring / Summer 2025.
— write up on page 51 of this alumni magazine

Benthien, Brenda. “G.W.’s Legacy.” weimarcinema.org, June 2025.
— “The author of this article wishes to thank Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society and Lulu expert extraordinaire, who provided valuable tips on her work with Pabst.”

“Rochester’s Most Famous Recluse.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, March 23, 2025.
— referenced in article: “Never has a more beautiful, intelligent, quirky, sexy, uniquely commanding character graced the screen,” Anthony Bourdain said in a column by Thomas Gladysz, the founder and longtime champion of the Louise Brooks Society.”

Bergstein, Mary. Visual Culture in Freud’s Vienna : Science, Eros, and the Psychoanalytic Imagination. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2024.
— the Louise Brooks Society publication, The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition), is referenced

Stans, Leah. “Book Reviews! “The Silents Go To War,” “Stumbling Into Film History,” and “The Street Of Forgotten Men.” Silentology, December 5, 2024.
— an ” impressively substantial tome” – review of the LBS publication, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond

WHAM-FM. “Rochester’s Little Theatre celebrates Silent Movie Day with Pandora’s Box.” September 29, 2024.
— mentioned in news article on ABC affiliate; “According to one of her biographers, Thomas Gladysz, who traveled to the George Eastman Museum in 2017 for research, Brooks lived a solitary life.”

5282. “Louise Brooks Special.” 5282, March 11, 2024.
— acknowledged as a source of information for this podcast

Schönfeld, Christiane. The History of German Literature on Film. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023.
— the Louise Brooks Society publication, The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition), is cited 

Friedman, Nancy. “Pandora’s Box – A Stunning Film on the Big Screen at the Spectacular Paramount,” Eat Drink Films, April 25, 2023.
— referenced in piece about a 2023 Pandora’s Box screening… “Complete Louise Brooks filmography at pandorasbox.com. This site will help you discover stories and images about Louise Brooks and it is worth bookmarking for return visits.”

Evans, David. “Seeking Info on Illustrated Sermons.” Magic Lantern Society of the United and Canada, November 2022.
— write-up in society newsletter

WHAM @ 100 – An Oral History “Ep 12_Not What I Planned“, March 23, 2022.
— iHeart Radio podcast series: “NOTE: this episode has been updated with new information provided by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. ”

Marcus, Greil. More Real Life Rock: The Wilderness Years 2014-2021. Yale University Press, 2022.
— includes the above mentioned blog entry referencing the Louise Brooks Society blog, an Louise Brooks Society exhibit and the noted artist Bruce Conner

Baldwin, Neil. Martha Graham: When Dance Became Modern: A Life. Alfred A. Knopf, 2022.
— three acknowledgements in this biography of the famed dancer 

More about the Louise Brooks Society and the recognition it has received over the years can be found on its IN THE NEWS page |  ABOUT page  |  SCRAPBOOK page  |  PUBLICATIONS page  |  or SOCIAL MEDIA page. 

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  

Prix de beauté, starring Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1930

Prix de beauté, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1930. In her last starring role and last European film, Louise Brooks plays a typist stuck in a dull job who wins a beauty contest. Like Pandora’s Box and Diary of a Lost Girl, Prix de beauté is a tragedy in which misfortune befalls the character played by Brooks. In a sense, the film can be seen as the third in a European trilogy starring the actress. The film is notable for being the first sound film to feature Brooks, although her dialogue and singing were dubbed, as well as one of the earliest French sound films. 

More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page.

Production of Prix de beauté was problematic. Intended as silent film and based on a story by G.W. Pabst and Rene Clair (with the French Clair as the intended director), funding for the project fell apart, and its production delayed. This was at the time when the European cinema was transitioning to sound. Eventually, Prix de beauté was released as a “talkie” under the direction of Augusto Genina, an Italian, with the Polish-born Rudolph Maté acting as cinematographer.

In June, 1930 Morris Gilbert wrote an article on the changing French film industry for the New York Times. He noted that a handful of American stars were appearing in French productions, including “Louise Brooks, a product of young Hollywood, is starring in the French Prix de beauté.” Gilbert’s mention was one of the first the film received in the United States.

That same month, writing in the British journal Close-Up, Charles E. Stenhouse gave the film one its first English-language reviews. Stenhouse wrote, “Louise Brooks [was] looking very photogenic as Miss France but not acting as well as when directed by Pabst. Never has one of Pabst’s discoveries achieved more than when under his inspiring influence. Greta Garbo! Brigitte Helm! And now Louise Brooks! The big trick in Prix de beauté is its remarkable ending, which redeems the previous passages whose very mediocrity emphasizes the ending’s splendour. An exceptional one and for once not a happy one. . . . A trick – but really one of beauty and irony, and at last a morsel of true sound-film technique.”

Variety reviewed the film on September 3, 1930. Writing about the Berlin screening, Magnus gave Prix de beauté a mixed notice. “In itself this talker is neither better nor worse than most others. . . . It shows the right conception for facts, a natural way of looking at things and reality. . . . This talker is very interesting, if only for the scene when the little girl has sunk back dead in her chair and her tune-picture continues singing from the screen. . . . Owing to bad synchronization this talker is a failure. . . . The acting is very good. Louise Brooks looks charming and she knows how to move.”

Miss Europa, as it was titled in Germany, did poor business, and reportedly only played for five days in August 1930. The film played across Europe — from Iceland to Poland, as well as in now former French colonies, like Algeria and Haiti. The film was not shown in the United States until decades later.

Under its French title, documented screenings of the film took place in Algeria, Belgium, Haiti, Japan, Madagascar, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey.

Elsewhere, Prix de beauté was shown under the title Vanidad (Argentina); Miss Europa (Austria); Miss Europa (Brazil); El Premio Fatal (Cuba); Miss Europa and Der Schönheitspreis (Czechoslovakia) and Miss Európa (Slovakia); Miss Europa (Danzig); Miss Europa (Denmark); Beauty Prize and Miss Europe (England); Miss Europa and Preis der Schönheit and Der Schönheitpreis (Germany); A szépsvg vására or Szépségvásár and Miss Europa (Hungary); Fegurðardrottning Euröpu (Iceland); Miss Europa and Premio di bellezza and Regina di bellezza (Italy); ミス・ヨーロッパ or Misu yōroppa (Japan); Premija par skaistumu and Skaistuma godalga (Latvia); Miss Europa (Der Schonheitspreis) (Luxembourg); Miss Europa and Schoonheidsprijs (The Netherlands); Skjønhetskonkurransen (Norway); Kobieto nie grzesz and Nagroda pieknosci and Nie Grzesz Kobieto (Poland); Miss Europa (Der Schonheitspreis) and Weib, sündige nicht (Poland, German language publication); Prémio de Beleza (Portugal); Nagrada za lepoto and Zrtev velike ljubezni (Slovenia); Premio de belleza (Spain, including Catalonia); Miss Europe (Switzerland); Güzellik Kiraliçesi and Güzellik Kirali-çasi and Küzellik Kirali-çasi and Güzellik Ödülü (Turkey); Nie Grzesz Kobieto! (Ukraine); Приз краси and Приз за красоту (U.S.S.R.); Vanidad (Uruguay, 1977); Vanidad (Venezuela).

In recent years, numerous screenings of the film have been taken place around the world, including first ever showings under the title Prix de beauté (or Beauty Prize or Miss Europe) in Australia, Canada, United States and elsewhere.

SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

— For the European market, Prix de beauté was released in four languages – French, English, German and Italian. Brooks’ voice was dubbed by Hélène Regelly (in French) and Donatella Neri (in Italian).

— On June 15, 1930 Morris Gilbert wrote an article on the changing French film industry for the New York Times. He noted “Louise Brooks, a product of young Hollywood, is starring in the French Prix de beauté.” This marked the first mention of the film in an American publication. Prix de beauté, however, was not shown in the United States until decades later.

— In 1932, Editions Jules Tallandier published an illustrated novelization of the film as part of its Cinema-Bibliotheque series. Boisyvon, who would go on to establish himself as a film historian and critic, wrote the story.

 More about Prix de beauté can be found on the newly revamped Louise Brooks Society website on its Prix de beauté (filmography page). 

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Show Off, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1926

The Show Off, featuring Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1926. The film a satiric comedy about an insufferable braggart who disrupts the life of a middle-class family. While remembered today as a Louise Brooks film, The Show-Off is really a vehicle for Ford Sterling, a comedian best remembered for his starring work as a member of the Keystone Kops. As a broad comedian, he is the perfect choice for the role of the titular blowhard Aubrey Piper. Brooks plays a supporting role as the love interest of the boy who lives next door. 

More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page.

 

Based on a popular stage play by an acclaimed playwright, The Show-Off was considered a prestige project — and thus drew a significant amount of critical attention along with inevitable comparison to its Broadway namesake. Motion Picture News proclaimed, “The picture is funnier than the play.” However, Billboard magazine disapproved, stating the film “has emerged considerably worse for the wear in its trip from the legit to the silver screen.” The critic for the San Jose Evening News countered, adding “The Show-Off is undoubtedly one of the biggest comedy hits of the year.”

John S. Cohen Jr. of the New York Sun wrote, “Directed by Malcolm St. Clair, the film boasts of exceptional naturalistic acting on the part of Ford Sterling, Lois Wilson, Claire McDowell, C. W. Goodrich, Gregory Kelly and – in one sequence – Louise Brooks . . . . Miss Brooks is best in the scene where she burlesques the pantomime employed by Mr. Sterling to describe his automobile experience.”

Famed author Robert E. Sherwood, named it a “recommended” film in McCall’s magazine. Writing in Life, he said the director “has taken a simple play of average American life and made a genuinely tender, touching, sympathetic picture of it”. Sherwood went on to call the film “a worthy reproduction of a great comedy.” Later, in Mirrors of the Year, an annual published in 1927, The Show-Off was deemed “a remarkable artistic achievement” and one of the best films of 1926.

Along with comparison to the play, criticism of The Show-Off also focused on Brooks. The critic for the Ann Arbor Times News thought Brooks almost “ran away with the picture.” While Peggy Patton of the Wisconsin News said Brooks “adds a dash of color to the offering with her daring personality.”

Other critics, however, disagreed — and a number found fault with her appearance. Dorothy Herzog of the New York Daily Mirror wrote “Louise Brooks spitfires, prisses, oogles and calls it a day of heavy emoting. Miss Brooks is a distinct type, but she seems to suffer from inefficient direction and miscasting. She also appears a trifle rounded, for and aft, in this opera, but this may be due to her skin-tight dresses.”

Norbert Lusk of Picture-Play echoed Herzog’s comments, stating “Lois Wilson tossed aside opportunities for shrewd characterization by wearing Paris frocks as a daughter of the Philadelphia poor. Louise Brooks, another little sister of poverty, likewise offended.” Frank Aston of the Cincinnati Post added an exclamation mark with a bit of snark when he noted, “And henceforth and forever when we think of The Show-Off we shall picture Louise Brooks and her display of hosiery.”

Under its American title, documented screenings of the film took place in Australia (including Tasmania), Bermuda, British Malaysia (Singapore), Canada, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Hong Kong, Jamaica, New Zealand, Panama, and the United Kingdom (England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales).

The Show-Off was shown elsewhere under the title Moi; Moi… (Belgium); O Mostrador and O Fanfarrão (Brazil); El Fachendoso (Cuba); Se chlubit (Czechoslovakia); De Windbuil (Dutch East Indies); Aubrey, sa oled kangelane! and Rahamehest (Estonia); Storskrytaren and Suurkerskuri (Finland); Moi; Moi… (France); Il Vanitoso (Italy);  駄法螺大当り or Dabora dai tōri (Japan); El Fachendoso (Mexico); Før og efter Byllupet (Norway); El Fachendoso (Spain); and Moi (Switzerland).

SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

— The Show-Off (1924) was authored by Philadelphia-born George Kelly (1887–1974), an American playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. Besides being the uncle of the Oscar winning actress Grace Kelly (the future Princess Grace of Monaco), George Kelly was considered by some (Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott, and others) as one of the finest  dramatists of the 1920s — alongside the likes of Sherwood Anderson and Elmer Rice. Besides The Show-Off, Kelly was best known for Craig’s Wife (1925), which won the Pulitzer Prize and was made into a motion picture on three occasions. His first play, The Torch Bearers, was also highly regarded.

— The Show-Off is one of two films that co-starred the popular Broadway actor Gregory Kelly (no relation), who died shortly after The Show-Off finished production. Gregory Kelly was the first husband of actress Ruth Gordon.

More about The Show-Off can be found on the newly revamped Louise Brooks Society website on its The Show-Off (filmography page).

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Don't miss Pamela Hutchinson's online presentation about Britain's Early Female Film Critics

I want to encourage everyone to be sure and check out Pamela Hutchinson's online talk, "C. A. Lejeune and and Britain’s Lady Film Critics." This San Francisco Film Preserve presentation is set to take place over Zoom on Friday, August 15 at 12 noon (Pacific time) or 7:00 pm UTC + 0. And what's more, it's free and open to the public. Interested individuals can register HERE.

For anyone interested in film history and early film criticism, this presentation is a must. Here is the event description: 

"In 1922, with a weekly column in the Manchester Guardian, C. A. Lejeune became one of Britain’s first lay film critics, and began to define what that could mean. Soon, she was the best of the bunch, and the funniest, too – but her opinions often became controversial. This talk will look at Lejeune’s passion for cinema and her remarkable career, which included three decades at The Observer, and becoming a fixture on BBC radio and TV. It will also introduce some of the many women who joined her in giving British film criticism a “womanly” voice from the 1920s to the 1950s. Chief among these is her fellow “Sunday Lady” Dilys Powell, her brilliant counterpart at the Sunday Times, who outlasted them all."

As Hutchinson notes on a recent blog on Silent London, Caroline Alice Lejeune (aka C. A. Lejeune, aka C.A.L.) and other early British film critics (including Iris Barry and Elsie Cohen) are a special interest. In fact, they are a topic which Hutchinson has been reading about, researching and writing about for a while. As Hutchinson states, "I find her writing to be witty and wise and gentle, and her story, of falling in and out of love with the cinema, to be absorbing and not a little moving. It is also fascinating to me how she first got her job as the first real film critic on the Manchester Guardian, and moved to the Observer for another three decades"

Hutchinson's talk is based, in part, I would guess, on "The Making of C.A. Lejeune, Film Critic," her contribution to a new book from Edinburgh University Press called Film Critics and British Film Culture: New Shots in the Dark, edited by Robert Shail and Sheldon Hall. I have yet to get a hold of a copy, but intend to -- the book is not due out until August 31. 

In my own research on Louise Brooks and her films, I have been struck by how many female film critics there were writing for American newspapers. New York City had more than a dozen newspapers in the 1920s, and the majority of its film critics were women. The same can be said of Chicago.

The story of C. A. Lejeune intersects with that of Louise Brooks. Under the by-line of C.A.L., she reviewed some of Brooks' early silents for the Manchester Guardian. I have found writes with the lady critic's by-line for Love Em and Leave Em, Just Another Blonde, Evening Clothes, Rolled Stockings, and perhaps others. (Unforunately, some reviews and write-ups were anonymous.) Regarding Love Em and Leave Em, Lejeune wrote “It has the advantage, beyond its generic qualities, of introducing picturegoers to Louise Brooks, a young Paramount ‘discovery’ who is certainly going to be a star one day.”

Notably, Lejeune even made mention of Brooks in her 1931 book, Cinema. In the section on director G.W. Pabst, Lejeune wrote  “ . . . no director on two continents has found so much personality in Louise Brooks.” Amen.

Pamela Hutchinson is a freelance film critic. She is the author of books including BFI Film Classics on The Red Shoes and Pandora's Box and her work has appeared in the Guardian, Empire and the Criterion Collection. She is a columnist for Sight and Sound and edits the Weekly Film Bulletin. Her curation projects include seasons on Marlene Dietrich and Asta Nielsen for BFI Southbank. She lives on the south coast of England and indulges her obsession with silent cinema at SilentLondon.co.uk.

Pamela Hutchinson and Thomas Gladysz

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.   

Louise Brooks Society celebrates 30 years online

The Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com) celebrates 30 years on the world wide web!

Launched in 1995 (the same year as Amazon and eBay), this pioneering fan site was the first devoted to the silent film star, and one of the very first devoted to any aspect of film history. Today, it continues to attract a loyal following and is one of the largest, more popular, and longest lasting websites devoted to any early movie star -- silent or sound.

Since its inception, the Louise Brooks Society has served as a resource for fans, scholars, creatives, and cinephiles from around the world. The site's online archive contains a treasure trove of information, including vintage articles, little seen photographs, rare ephemera, and more. Its filmography, which surpasses both IMDb and the AFI in detail, presents an in-depth look at each of Brooks' films including Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl, and Beggars of Life. 

There are pages devoted to other aspects of Brooks' life including her early days as a Denishawn dancer (the basis for the PBS film, The Chaperone), her little documented time in London, her brief affair with Charlie Chaplin, and later years as the author of Lulu in Hollywood.

Also featured on the site is an extensive day-by-day chronology of the actress' life which the Irish Times called "extraordinary". Another unique section on the site -- "Homage to Lulu" -- surveys the many movie characters, comix, rock music, fiction, fashion, street graffiti, tattoo art and even perfume which celebrates the actress. At more than 260 pages, the site has become the go-to destination for anyone interested in the life and work of this singular star. 

In 1998, the popularity of the Louise Brooks Society website helped inspire the Emmy-nominated TCM documentary, Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu. Since then, the site led a grass-roots campaign to bring Lulu in Hollywood, as well as the Barry Paris biography of the actress, back into print. It has also involved itself in the preservation of Brooks' films, curated exhibits, sponsored author talks and screenings, and conducted research which has led to a number of significant discoveries -- most notably rare audio recordings of Brooks' radio work in the early 1960s. 

The Louise Brooks Society maintains a long-running blog -- since 2002, and recently, it established a Substack account featuring long-form pieces. In 2010, the LBS published the Louise Brooks edition of Margarete Bohme’s bestselling book, "The Diary of a Lost Girl," which served as the basis for the 1929  film. Notably, it was the book’s first English-language publication in more than 100 years. The Louise Brooks Society has published four other books on the actress and her films, with more in the works. 

Over the years, the Louise Brooks Society has been acclaimed by all manner of print and online media, including USA Today and Wired magazine, who described the site as "exemplary." Similarly, the New York Times stated, “The Louise Brooks Society is an excellent homage to the art of the silent film as well as one of its most luminous stars.”

The Louise Brooks Society continues to attract a loyal following who share a passion for early cinema. On a personal note, I would like to express my gratitude to the dedicated community that has supported the site over the past three decades. The internet has changed a lot in the last 30 years. It hasn't always been easy to maintain a site and attract new visitors. Nevertheless, I am proud of how far the Louise Brooks Society has come since its began ever so long ago. This 30-year journey is a testament to the legacy of Louise Brooks and the enduring appeal of classic cinema.

As the Louise Brooks Society begins its fourth decade online, it remains committed to its mission of preserving the memory of one of the most iconic figures in film history. With a renewed focus on education and outreach, the website aims to introduce a new generation of film enthusiasts to Louise Brooks and the timeless allure of silent movies. Among the forthcoming projects with which it is currently involved is a disc of Brooks' "lost" films (in conjunction with the San Francisco Film Preserve) and a first ever e-book edition of Brooks' Lulu in Hollywood (in conjunction with the Estate of Louise Brooks). 

For more information about the Louise Brooks Society, including a detailed history and mission statement, visit its About page. Or, check out this online scrapbook of images from the history of the LBS.

Thomas Gladysz, founding Director of the Louise Brooks Society, is open to interviews and media / blogger / podcaster inquiries. Let's talk Lulu!

“Nobody knows more about Louise Brooks than Thomas Gladysz. Having founded the Louise Brooks Society in 1995, he has spent more than two decades researching her life and work, curating memorabilia and writing about this most fascinating of silent era actresses.” -- Pamela Hutchinson, Silent London

 

"...  if there exists a No. 1 fan and a No. 1 chronicler of Brooks, it’s Thomas Gladysz, the founder and longtime champion of the Louise Brooks Society.” -- Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

 

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  

Remembering Louise Brooks, who passed away on August 8, 1985

The Louise Brooks Society remembers Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985), dancer, actress, writer, and inspiration to many. She is a 20th century icon, and a 21st century muse. Yes, she is gone, but she is not forgotten. Here is a link to her "Find a Grave" page. Why not visit the page and leave some virtual flowers.

 

The Louise Brooks Society, which this year marks 30 years online, was founded in part to celebrate Brooks' legacy. Please visit the Louise Brooks Society website at www.pandorasbox.com and share in that celebration.  

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.